Alberta
Adams
by Tony Engelhart
6/24 @ Fluid, Nelson, BC; 6/26 (w/Maria Muldaur) @ The Yale,
Vancouver, BC, 9:30pm; 6/28 @ New Orleans Restaurant, Seattle;
6/29 @ JazzFest International/Ingraham Hotel, Victoria,
BC, 9:30pm; 6/30 @ Blue Lagoon, White Rock, BC.
Many have dubbed Alberta Adams
Queen of the Blues. Although '99's Born With the Blues was
her first record, the singer has been performing for well
over 5 decades. She started performing on Hastings Street,
Paradise Valley in Detroit's Black entertainment quarter
in 1940-not as a singer but rather as a dancer, under the
moniker Tap Dancer Deluxe. Her musical career started when
the regular vocalists at Club B and C fell ill and although
she only performed two songs that evening, "Hay Ba
Ba Rebop" and "I'll Be So Glad When My Man Comes
Home", it proved to be her catalyst. Adams has toured
with the likes of T-Bone Walker, Roy Eldridge, Duke Ellington,
and Louis Jordan. Her performances are known for high energy;
she was one of the first to walk through the rows and make
personal contact with the audience while performing. In
2000, at age 75, Alberta released her follow-up recording,
Say Baby Say, to rave reviews and the delight of her many
admirers. While Alberta Adams may have been overlooked by
major record labels, her constant touring has won her fans
worldwide, for she is not only one of the last old-school
blues performers but also an original who knows the blues
on a first name basis.
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